


Take My Place

by upthenorthmountain (aw264641)



Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: F/M, Kristanna, canonverse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-24
Updated: 2015-04-20
Packaged: 2018-03-14 22:44:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3428267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aw264641/pseuds/upthenorthmountain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ten months after the Thaw, Anna thinks she finally has her happy ending. But when she learns that she is expected to marry a foreign prince, it seems like no one is who they really ought to be. Kristanna.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

To Her Majesty Queen Elsa of Arendelle  
From His Majesty King Tomas of Haugesunde

Queen Elsa,

I write with many apologies for not having contacted you personally sooner. As I’m sure you know your late father was a great friend of mine and it is only Haugesunde’s local conflicts in recent years – undertaken on your behalf as much as on ours - that have prevented me from attempting a closer relationship with yourself prior to today.

With peace now returning to our land there is time to think of other matters and, as my youngest son Prince Oskar has now come of age, I feel it is time that he were married. I propose that he and his retinue come to Arendelle this summer so that he may meet your royal sister Princess Anna and make arrangements for their wedding. Your parents’ unfortunate premature passing means that not all of the details of their betrothal were finalised, but I’m sure those can be easily worked out once you meet with him and my advisers in person.

It is my dearest wish, and I am sure yours also, that Arendelle and Haugesunde should continue to be friends and allies. The strengthening of our bond through this joining of our families in matrimony had long been the plan of your father and of myself and I’m sure you will be pleased to see it come soon to fruition. I await your response.

I remain, my lady, your most humble and obedient servant,

Tomas R.


	2. Chapter 1

It was the first day of spring.

Not the first day by the calendar, but nevertheless. The first day when the bright sunshine meant warmth, not cold; something in the air, some quality of the light, that meant that the season had turned and winter was gone.

Anna had high hopes for this year. 

\----

Being summoned to the queen’s study was not unusual. Once her education was complete it had taken Anna a while to settle into her role in the palace, and her responsibilities could still change from day to day, so it was with a light heart that she knocked on the door.

Elsa was sitting behind her desk in the centre of the room, holding a letter, looking worried. Anna expected her to put it down when she entered but she didn’t, just glanced up then looked back at the letter, frowning at the words. There were other, older letters arranged neatly on the side of the desk, and a journal that Anna recognised as one of their father’s.

Before Anna could greet her, Elsa said “Anna, what do you know about Prince Oskar of Haugesunde?”  
“Um. Younger son of King Tomas and Queen Marta. Has an older brother and – two sisters? I think I met him once. When I was about twelve. Before the war, they had the war, right?”  
“Yes.” She was still staring at the letter as if it had personally offended her. After a moment she looked up and continued speaking. “Father told me we should always be grateful to Haugesunde. We don’t have a real standing army here, or much of a navy, and without Haugesunde’s military action we would have been in serious trouble. May be again in the future, if we don’t remain on good terms with them.”  
“I thought we were on good terms.”  
“Yes.” Elsa frowned. “And it’s the only reason Trondheim didn’t attack us here, much as they wish they had control of our ports.”

Anna shifted from one foot to the other. She liked discussing these things with her sister, it made her feel important and like she was one of the grown-ups, but all the same it was sunny and blue-skied outside and if there wasn’t anything Elsa needed her to actually do then she’d rather not hang around in this drab room.

“Elsa, what did you want to talk to me about?”  
She sighed. “Father never mentioned Prince Oskar to you?”  
“I think I met him. I’m not sure. Does he have brown hair? Not since then.”  
“Anna –“ Pause. “I received a letter from King Tomas today.” Pause. “He seems to be under the impression that – well. That you and Prince Oskar are betrothed. Engaged.”

For a moment Anna was stunned, genuinely speechless.  
“Father never mentioned this to you?” Elsa asked.  
“No! No. Of course not. No.”  
Elsa nodded, fiddling with the piece of paper in her hands. “King Tomas wants to send Prince Oskar here this summer. To finalise the details. Plan the wedding.”  
“What! Elsa, no –“  
“I know! I know. Believe me, this is as much a shock to me as it is to you -”  
“I doubt it!”  
“I didn’t know either, Anna!” The temperature in the room dropped suddenly and Anna bit her tongue to stop herself shouting back at her, telling her she wouldn’t do it, she couldn’t make her, it wasn’t FAIR. She waited, mouth clamped shut, while Elsa closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. She laid the letter on the table and carefully smoothed it with her hands. 

Anna tried to count to ten but before she could get there she heard herself say, in a small voice, “Isn’t there anything you can do?”  
Elsa exhaled, slowly. “I’ll try. I’ll do my best. But, Anna – I can’t promise anything. I’m sorry.”

Anna shook her head. “How did we not know about this? Papa would have told me. Are you sure?”  
“King Tomas was one of his best friends. This is his seal. And, look,” she showed me the journal. “See this, from nearly seven years ago - King Tomas and Queen Marta visited us here, that must be the visit you remember - and among the things they discussed, he wrote ‘Anna’.”  
“Just that?”  
“And further on -” she ran her finger down the page. “Here. ‘It is a sorry thing to dispose of one’s children but I could not wish for a better home for her - O. has the makings of a fine young man and I feel their court will suit her better than ours - we will all miss her terribly and it will be very quiet without her but T. is right that this is a good solution for everybody.” _And without her sister to fret over E. may finally have the peace of mind she needs to overcome her own difficulties_ , Elsa elected not to read aloud.

Anna nodded, suddenly tired. “Is that all, can I go?”  
“If you like.”  
She turned and walked to the door. It didn’t feel like spring any more. Her hand was on the door handle when her sister spoke again.  
“Anna? I really am. So sorry.”  
She didn’t turn. “I know.” And she left the room, closing the door behind her.

\----

If they’d known about this all along, it would have solved a lot of problems. Or would it just have caused them? One thing Anna was certain of was that if she’d received this news a year ago, she would have been thrilled; what a difference a few months could make.

_Elsa will fix it_ , she repeated to herself. _Elsa will fix it._

She was supposed to be seeing him today. What on earth was she going to say?


	3. Chapter 2

Anna didn’t quite fit sideways on the library sofa, but she was lying on it anyway, her legs sticking out over the arm. She stared at the ceiling, kicking her feet and drumming her heels on the cushion.

There was a knock on the open door. "Anna? You in here?"

She raised an arm and waved her hand languidly. Kristoff appeared in her vision, said “Hey,” then threw himself down to sit on the floor next to the sofa. When she didn't reply, he said “Is everything all right? I think this is the longest I’ve ever known you be quiet.”

“Just thinking. I got some - well, it’s not bad news, it’ll be okay, I know it will, but it’s not great news either.”  
“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said, and lifted his hand to take hers. They stayed that way in silence for a moment, then Anna swung her legs round and slid off the seat and into his lap. She landed with more of a thump than she’d expected but there was no complaint; Kristoff just wrapped his arms round her and she rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes.  
“I’m going to stay here forever,” she informed him. “I’ve thought about it and I think it would be for the best.”  
“OK.” He kissed the top of her head and she had to blink back tears because everything was so _unfair_.   
“I wish I wasn’t me,” she said. “I wish I was - a kitchen maid or something.”  
“You do realise what time they have to get up in the morning?”  
“Yes,” she said, “but – but they can marry whoever they want. Just because they want to. Or not.”  
He went very still. “OK, you’re going to have to explain that, because I’m clearly missing some information.”

She told him what Elsa had told her. Making sure to finish up with “But Elsa will sort it out. She’s so clever, she’s so good at this sort of thing. Diplomacy. She’ll tell them I’m not doing it.”  
Kristoff put a hand on each of Anna’s hips and moved her back so that he could see her face. His expression was serious. “And if that doesn’t work?”  
“I won’t do it! They can’t _make_ me. I’m fairly sure there’s a law about it.”  
“But won’t that be messy? Politically? For your sister?”  
“Well, maybe, but – well, what do you want me to do?”  
“I don’t know!” He threw his hands up in the air. “This is not a conversation I thought I’d be having today!”  
She buried her head in his chest again and, after a moment, he wrapped his arms around her once more.

“It’ll be all right,” she said. “It will. You believe me, don’t you?”  
He sighed. “But if it’s what your father wanted -”  
“I was a child then. I’m a woman now. It’s different. And my father isn’t here. Elsa’s in charge, she’s the _queen_.”  
Silence again for a moment, then he said “Maybe I should go.”  
“No! No. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have told you.”  
“Yes, you should.” She clung to him, but he gently pried her off and set her down on the floor next to him.  
“I love you,” she said.  
“I know. I love you too. But if all this time you’ve been engaged to someone else -”  
“It’s not like that. It’s a - thing. A royal thing.”  
“The sort of thing someone like me wouldn’t understand.”  
“That’s not what I meant! You _know_ what I mean.”  
“I think I should go,” he repeated. “I’ll be back, I just need to - think about this.”  
“Kristoff -”  
He stood and took a step towards the door, and Anna followed quickly and took his hands. He looked worried and upset and she wished desperately now that she hadn’t said anything.

"I love you," he said, "and I know you love me. And I know you and your sister will both do your best. But Anna, what if that isn't enough?"

\---------

 

To Queen Elsa of Arendelle  
From King Tomas of Haugesunde

Queen Elsa,

Thank you for your prompt response to my letter. I must confess a great deal of surprise that you were unaware of your sister's engagement. I know that the handover of power from your father to yourself was far from smooth but I am sure he will have kept copies of our correspondence. 

You enquired as to whether I would accept yourself as Prince Oskar's bride, in lieu of your sister. While we are of course flattered I must say that it will not do. As monarch you must stay in Arendelle but my son is a vital part of my inner council and his wife will need to live with him here. I am sure you and your sister are close and will not wish to be parted but remember she will only be a short sea voyage away and you can rest assured we will take the very best care of her.

With your permission the Prince and his retinue will be with you in two weeks to make all the arrangements.

I remain your most obedient servant,

Tomas R.


	4. Chapter 3

The sound of someone in the stable was the first thing that woke him. Kristoff had no idea of the time, but it couldn’t have been earlier than midnight; he dragged himself upright and was just unbolting the door when someone knocked on it.   
“Kristoff? It’s me.”  
Anna?

She had a lantern, and boots and a cloak on over her nightdress. The night was warm but not that warm and he hurried her inside the door.  
“What are you doing here?”  
“I’m sorry, I know it’s late, I just needed you. Everything at home is so - and they’re coming in two days - and I needed you.”

Kristoff felt a pang of guilt. It wasn't that he'd been avoiding her, exactly, these last few weeks, but he hadn't seen much of her, either. Anna was used to waiting for him to come to her and it had been easier not to, recently. She had never turned up on his doorstep before.

When he had seen her, she had reassured him over and over that there was nothing to worry about, but he knew a lot of what she said was based on wishful thinking. Despite her sister's best efforts, the Haugesunde delegation was still expected to arrive on schedule.

“I needed you, too,” he said quietly. “I didn’t know it, but I did.”

Anna smiled, and then she was on him, wrapping her arms round his neck and pressing her lips to his. Kristoff stumbled slightly backwards under the force of her assault and ended up sitting on the edge of his unmade bed, Anna in his lap. She shifted to straddle his hips, kissing him almost desperately, and as she pressed her body against his it was so easy to lose himself in the smell and taste and feel of her.

It wasn’t until she unfastened her cloak and let it fall to the ground behind her that he realised properly what was happening. Her nightdress was hiked up to mid-thigh, somehow her boots were also abandoned on the floor, and he was hardly fully-dressed either. And they were in (well, on) his bed.  
“Anna,” he managed to say, tearing himself away. “Anna, stop.”  
She pulled back slightly, resting her forehead on his. When he hesitated, one hand still on the small of her back, she started to kiss his neck and behind his ear, and finally with a groan he had to pick her up and stand her on the floor in front of him.

“Anna,” he said. “We’ve discussed this. You know we mustn’t. It’s too risky, you shouldn’t even be here.”  
“I don’t care! I don’t, I want to. Because then. Then maybe I won’t have to marry Prince Oskar.”  
Kristoff went very still.  
"I was under the impression," he said, "that you weren't going to marry him anyway."  
“I don’t want to,” Anna said, almost hysterical. “I don’t want to, believe me -”  
“But.”  
“If I don’t. If I don’t, Kristoff -” she started to cry, and he held her against his chest, stroking her hair until she calmed down.  
“Tell me,” he said. 

So she told him. Everything she could remember from her history lessons and from recent dispatches; everything she’d spent all afternoon hashing out with her sister. About the charismatic young king of Trondheim who had his eye on Haugesunde and Arendelle and everything beyond; about how he had disappeared once the Haugesunde forces had beaten his army and navy back, and it was known he was regrouping ready for another assault.

Trondheim wanted Arendelle. And Arendelle had no army.

“King Tomas wouldn’t leave us completely unprotected, he wouldn’t, but at the same time - he would expect us to fight, too. We’d have to fight, and people would die. Trondheim won’t attack here while they think Haugesunde protect us, but if they didn’t -”  
“So he’s blackmailing you into marrying his son?” Incredulous.  
“No, it’s not like that, it’s about - relationships, knowing who your friends are. It’s my choice, Elsa said it’s my choice. But if I don’t do it, there will be another war, and we won’t be able to avoid this one.” She started crying again. “And I can’t be that selfish, I can’t. Elsa needs me. Arendelle needs me.”  
She rested her forehead on his chest.  
“And I love you,” she whispered.

“We could go,” he said. She looked up. “We could - Anna. We could go, you and me and Sven, into the mountains and they’d never find us -”  
A breathless pause and she considered it. The two of them in a cosy little cabin, together and safe, far away from the duties and obligations that were forced upon her. Darning his socks by the fireside. Waking every morning to those warm brown eyes, they eyes that were fixed on her now, his love and hope and fear written plainly on them.

While Arendelle fought, and possibly fell. While Elsa was left to face everything alone. While people died because she was a selfish little girl.

She didn’t answer him, and she didn’t have to. After a long moment Kristoff dropped his gaze to his feet; when he lifted his head again his expression was quite different.

“I release you,” he said.  
“What?”  
“I release you. From any obligation you might feel to me. Anything - between us. I release you.”

She nodded, slowly. His face was blank as he said “I’ll fetch your horse, Your Highness.”

\---

“Anna?”  
Elsa was in her nightgown, in her bedroom doorway. Anna realised she must have been waiting for her return.  
“It’s all right. I’m back.”  
“Did you go to see…” Elsa didn’t finish her sentence.  
“Yes. But don’t worry. It won’t happen again.” Anna had expected her own tears but somehow her eyes were dry, her voice steady. “It’s over.”  
Elsa nodded, her eyes tired. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again.

“Don’t,” Anna said, and slipped into her own room and lay down on the bed. Alone.

\--

Elsa knew all the etiquette, all the protocols. When the ship docked (and there were other ships, waiting out in the fjord - more people than she had expected, all with the battle-ready air of experienced soldiers) she knew how to stand, what to say. She had been schooled her whole life on how to play this part. 

But the fact she was standing here at all, welcoming the young man whose existence broke her sister's heart, was proof that she was no good at this. Her birth put her here and, for far from the first time, it felt like a huge mistake; she couldn't help but reflect that there are doubtless dozens of people who would do this better than she could, who would have been able to prevent this catastrophe.

The job was hers, even if she never wanted it, has never felt up to it. Standing there now, as the Prince bowed, she found herself wishing with all her heart that there was someone else to take her place.

\--

Kristoff remembered the Yule Ball the previous winter. He had been a reluctant guest, but it had all been worth it to see Anna in red velvet and gold, hair and eyes and smile shining in the candlelight. He had thought (as her face lit up to see him, as she ran past the line of dignitaries to reach him) that he knew he was an honest man, and he supposed he was a good man - not an actively bad man, at least - but would he ever be a good enough man to deserve all this?

Ever since he'd met her he'd been waiting for the other shoe to drop. He had always felt like he'd come in by the wrong door, almost; accidentally fallen into the wrong story, and now history was righting itself, shaking itself straight, and he was thrown aside.

But then it was what he'd always known, deep down. Sooner or later another man, the right man, would arrive and take his place.

\--

Anna smiled, and curtsied, and let him kiss her hand. Apparently she was far more beautiful than he had ever imagined and he was very much looking forward to getting to know her better. She smiled again and muttered her thanks and bit down on the scream trying to build at the back of her throat.

The first person to love her who didn't have to, who wasn't family. The first person to take care of her who wasn't being employed to do so. Not the first man she'd ever said she loved; but the first man she had loved, all the same.

She thought about sacrifices. 

She thought about the word _altar_.

She wanted to shed her skin, the shell of Princess. Let the real Anna step quietly to the side and slip away, and leave the symbol, the title, there to take her place.


	5. Chapter 4

Anna wasn’t sure what her expectations had been, but this wasn’t it. It wasn’t that she expected to be courted, as such, or seduced; she was well aware that this was, for the most part, a business transaction. It would have been nice to feel a little more essential to the process, though. Other than a few bland, general remarks about her beauty, Oskar didn’t have much to say to her. She suggested they spend some time together to get to know one another, and he looked amused and said that there would be plenty of time for that. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of him.

And she knew that Elsa, certainly, had expected negotiations - but the Haugesunde party was apparently quite willing to go along with whatever she suggested. The only point on which they were clear was that the wedding would take place in Arendelle, and then the happy couple would leave immediately for their new home.

“He seems to be in a hurry,” Elsa said to Anna privately one evening. “He suggested to me that you get married in two weeks. Did he say that to you?”  
“Yes,” Anna replied.   
“What did you say?"  
"I - agreed. Not in those exact words. But I agreed."  
"Anna."  
"All right. I said that, ah, if we were going to do it I'd rather get it over with."  
"Anna!"  
"No, it's okay! He laughed."  
Elsa nodded, still stern. 

“I can bear it,” Anna said quietly. “I just wish - we didn’t have to go. I wish I didn’t have to leave you.”  
Elsa smiled, sadly. “I know. You’ll visit, though. It’s only two days by sea, three at the most. But we’ll miss you. So much.”

\------

Sometimes Anna hoped that Kristoff would find some nice girl who would make him happy; the thought of him being alone forever because of her was a knife in her heart. Other times the thought of him even looking at another woman, even being in the same room as one, was even more upsetting.

It was all too recent. Somehow it felt as if the wound was too fresh, as if the pain was still on the surface. She would wake up, having forgotten in the night; she dreamt happy dreams that would make her cry all the harder when the realisation set in. But outside her room she set her jaw and smiled and talked and did her best. For Elsa. For Arendelle.

\----

It was four days until the wedding and Oskar, Anna thought peevishly, seemed to have finally remembered that he was going to marry an actual human woman. Over dinner he talked to her, and even showed an interest in her answers; and after the coffee he suggested a walk in the gardens.

And then proceeded to talk about Elsa.

Was it true, what they said about her? What could she do, and to what extent? Had she really made a twenty-foot tall snow monster? Did she tire? 

Was there magic in their family, did Anna know? Did she think her own children -

And there he stopped himself, with a small laugh. "I'm sorry, Anna. It probably all seems normal and everyday to you! But to the rest of us it is all quite fascinating."  
He looked sideways at her. They had reached the rose garden and he caught her expression and apologised again, "I'm sorry. Everyone must want to talk about your sister. And you're perfectly fascinating yourself."  
"I'm not anything special."  
"I think you are. I think, in fact," and he stepped round so that he was facing her, "that there isn't another woman in the world who would suit me as well."

He took a half-step forward and put a hand gently on her arm. _He's going to kiss me_ , she thought, and it panicked her. Of course if she married him she would have to do much more than kiss him. But she'd somehow pushed that out of her mind, thought of it as being at some indeterminate point in the future. Having this strange man leaning in towards her, right here and now, felt very different.

“Your highnesses? I’m sorry, I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”  
It was Kai, and she could have hugged him. Kissed _him_.  
“What do you think, man?” Oskar said, irritated. “Give us some privacy.”  
“I’m sorry, sir, but - Queen Elsa has asked me to fetch her sister, as a matter of urgency.”  
“Is something wrong?” Anna stood quickly. “Is she all right?”  
“She wanted to see you immediately,” was all he would say.  
“I’m sorry, please excuse me,” Anna said. Oskar bowed, but his face was grim.

\----

Elsa was in her study. She was agitated and her normally neat desk was covered in piles of paper - letters, reports, journals.  
"Anna! Come in, close the door."  
"What's wrong?"  
“Our ambassador has returned from Oslo. He arrived while we were at dinner and I’ve just been speaking with him.”  
“...I thought you liked him.”  
“I do! But I didn’t realise he had come via Haugesunde, he was there just over a week ago. He didn’t stay long, because.” She took a deep breath. “Prince Oskar - Prince Oskar of Haugesunde is very ill. He was badly injured in battle last year and is not expected to live long."  
"No, he's fine, he’s in the rose garden -" Anna said, then her brain caught up with her mouth. "That's not Prince Oskar?"  
"That's not Prince Oskar." Elsa sighed and rubbed her forehead with her hands. "We've been so isolated here - or these are all people we would know by sight - it's my fault -"  
"It's not your fault," Anna said automatically. "But if he isn't Prince Oskar, who is he? What does he want?"  
"Anna, I think - the ambassador agrees - I think he's the king of Trondheim. King Nikolai."  
Anna dropped down into a chair, and tried to focus on more immediate thoughts than _does this mean I don’t have to marry him_. "So now what? We throw them out?" 

"You saw the men, the ships! And I'm sure there are more not far away. We're completely unprepared. It would start a war, and we couldn't win."  
"We have you!" Anna suddenly remembered the conversation earlier. "He was asking me about you, about what you could do. I told him. He's scared of you, or he should be."  
"It wouldn't be enough. We can't risk it."  
"So what can we do?"  
"Nothing for now. We have to play along. I'll work something out - King Tomas is looking for King Nikolai.” She sighed. “He would help us if he knew about all this."  
"But you've been writing to King Tomas all along." Pause. "Haven't you?"

“You tell me.” Elsa rummaged in the papers on her desk, and then handed her sister two letters. “This is the original letter I received in the spring. And this is a letter I found, sent by King Tomas to Father about five years ago. Look at the handwriting.”  
Anna peered at it. “It’s similar...but not identical….”  
Elsa nodded. “The seal is the same but the signature is different. These are forged - by someone with access to his seal, but not his signature. My letters must have been intercepted, too.”  
“So even if you could send a message by sea -”  
“We couldn’t trust it. No. Someone has access to King Tomas’s offices - that must be how they knew about your betrothal.”

Anna’s head was swimming. “So you think King Tomas would help?”  
“I’m sure he would - but he’s too far away, Anna.”  
“It’s not _far_ , though, is it - it’s just the mountains are in the way - “  
Suddenly she had a thought, and when she looked up and met Elsa’s eyes, she knew they were having the same one.  
“So,” Anna said, slowly, “if we knew someone - someone completely trustworthy - who was good at climbing mountains, someone like that -”  
“Would he take a message for us?”  
“Is there anyone else who can?”


	6. Chapter 5

At first Kristoff thought he was dreaming.

It was so late that it was almost early, and someone was knocking on his door again. And when he opened it, Anna was there.

She was holding the reins of a horse - not her usual one, something smaller and sturdier. She was dressed practically in boots and travelling clothes and she had a leather satchel slung over her shoulder.

Before he could stop himself, he said “Did you change your mind?”

Anna paused, mouth open, and he realised with a sinking heart that she didn’t even know what he meant.

—-

Of course he would think that. It hadn’t occurred to her, she’d been so busy rehearsing what she was going to say and trying not to think about how it would be to see him again. But of course that was how it looked. The hope in his eyes was terrible and it knocked her prepared speech straight out of her head. After a moment, however, his expression changed.

“No, of course not. Silly of me. What are you doing here? Don’t you have a wedding to plan?”  
“It’s not a wedding! It’s a kidnapping.”  
That got his attention.

Anna hurriedly outlined the situation. “And I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I know I have no right to ask you this, to ask you anything. But there isn’t anyone else. We don’t know if someone at the castle - we don’t know.”  
She looked up and caught his eye, but blushed and looked away again. Then she remembered something and fumbled in her bag.  
“This is the letter from Elsa. It has her seal but also she said you should take your letters patent and medal so they know who you are. You must give this letter directly into the king’s hand, it’s important.”

Kristoff nodded slowly. Then he said quietly, “Will you promise me something?”  
“If I can.”  
“Don’t get on the ship. I know you might have to, to go through with it, but. Don’t get on the ship.”  
“I’m not planning to. I mean, I’ll try. Hopefully it won’t come anywhere close to that.”  
He nodded.  
“I guess I should leave now. I might be able to get there by the end of the day.”  
“You’ll do it?”  
He huffed a laugh. “Explain to me the part where I actually had a choice.”

—-

There wasn’t exactly a pass through the mountains to Haugesunde - there was a narrow almost-path through the rocks, but you’d be hard-pressed to get a coach or wagon through here. A man and his reindeer could manage, though, especially in the summer when the snow and ice were melted.

And then Haugesunde was before him. The city was like Arendelle, but not quite; it was disorientating, a little. The castle was on a rocky outcrop above the town so he had no difficulty finding it and a combination of the letter from Queen Elsa and his own letters patent as Royal Ice Master got him into the building (Sven had to wait outside).

Getting to speak to the king took a little longer; at first he feared it was too late in the day and the king had retired for the night (not that Kristoff would have given up - but it would have made things more difficult). But no, he was in a meeting with his military leaders, and Kristoff eventually managed to convince the castle staff that that was where he should also be.

“Your majesty. Ice Master Kristoff Bjorgman of Arendelle, bringing you an urgent message from her majesty Queen Elsa.”  
“What? What’s this?”

Kristoff remembered to bow, then handed the letter, as agreed, directly into the king’s hand. The man looked at it, then broke the seal and read it. Then read it again. Then looked at him sharply. “Queen Elsa gave you this?”  
“No. Princess Anna did.”  
“And why does she send an iceman, hmm? Are all the messengers on their holidays?”  
“She trusts me.”  
King Tomas looked him up and down, then nodded. “You know what this letter contains?”  
“I believe so.”  
“Then you see I must discuss it with my men; then we will see what we can do.”

He looked at the letter again. “She is right to come to me; I knew Nikolai was a scoundrel but I did not think this little of him. To impersonate my own son as he lays dying! To attempt to take such advantage of an innocent young woman!”  
“Anna - _Princess_ Anna said it was a kidnapping. She would be a hostage.”  
“Nikolai fears me, but he fears Queen Elsa more. Your queen is possibly the most powerful sorceress alive today. If he could control her, heaven knows what he could do.”

Now the king was looking at him shrewdly. “And you come here out of the goodness of your heart, out of love for your country? Is the queen a special friend of yours? Or,” and he smiled, “is it the princess? I have not had much official contact with Arendelle, but I hear some things - oh! And you blush. Well. Say no more.”

He turned to the table and Kristoff stared at the floor, his face hot. He couldn’t quite hear the discussion at the table but, although the king was carrying the floor, there seemed to be some disagreement.

“Who is this man? Why should we trust him?”  
“Agdar’s daughters trust him, and that is enough for me.”  
“It is too audacious, even for Nikolai -”  
“No fighting, gentlemen! This is, after all, a council of war. I have made my decision. We don’t know where Nikolai is, so Arendelle is as good a choice as any - and if all is as this letter says, we have no time to lose. Master Bjorgman!”

Kristoff looked up and the king was striding towards him again.  
“Thank you for your efforts here tonight. I’m sure the queen will not see you unrewarded.”  
“I don’t ask for a reward.”  
“Just for your princess back? Oskar will never marry now, you know.”  
“She - she’s not _my_ princess. And she deserves a better man than me.”  
“A prince - or a duke, or a lord.”  
“I suppose.”  
“And where do you think they got those titles, hey?”  
“They were born with them.”  
“Oh, not the current crop. The original dukes and lords and so on. They were granted them by the monarch, for feats of bravery and courage. And because of it were a hundred times more worthy of those titles than the descendants you see prancing around in fancy waistcoats. Think on that.”

Tomas looked pensive. “I have been a neglectful godfather,” he muttered. “I thought I could protect them from afar, but it was not enough. Agdar, I have let you down.” He sighed. “But I will not fail them now. Gentlemen! Mobilise the fleet. We leave for Arendelle forthwith.”

He stepped towards the door, then turned back. “Do you sail with us?”  
A brief image of Sven on a sailing ship flashed through Kristoff’s mind and he coughed to cover his snort of laughter. “No, thank you. I will return to Arendelle over the mountains. Perhaps I will be able to let Queen Elsa know that help is on its way.”  
The King nodded. “Only if it is safe to do so! They must maintain the charade as long as possible. With good weather we shall be with them in plenty of time and then the game will be up.”

He turned to a servant.  
“Let this man have any supplies or facilities he needs. He has done us all a great service and I hope we will meet again so I may thank him once more in person, once this affair is over and settled. But for now we must set sail.”

King Tomas shook Kristoff warmly by the hand.

“Courage, Ice Master Bjorgman! Faint heart never won fair maiden.” And he winked, before striding off after his officers.


	7. Chapter 6

The thing was that she hadn’t, actually, thought it would come to this. Even before the subterfuge was uncovered, she hadn’t actually _believed_ , when it came down to it, that this would happen.

And now she’d been laced in and buttoned up, her hair styled and her shoes polished. Downstairs a few guests had already arrived. For her wedding.

Anna sat alone on the edge of her bed and waited. It was all very well to promise not to get on the ship, but she wasn’t sure how she was meant to prevent it. Nearly any man would be able to pick her up and toss her over his shoulder; and in this many petticoats she couldn’t exactly run fast or climb out of a window or even walk briskly through an average-sized doorway.

There was a soft knock at the door, and Elsa let herself in.

"You’re ready? You still have an hour."

"I’m ready."

Elsa sat down next to her. “And are you okay?”

Her gentle concern was too much. Anna knew she should be thinking about politics and wars and soldiers, and she was, but one thing remained stubbornly at the front of her mind.

“I’m never going to see him again,” she said softly.

“You will,” Elsa said, her voice more certain than her expression.

“Even if I do. I didn’t choose him.” She started crying now, unable to prevent it any longer. “Why didn’t I choose him? I don’t know. I love him, I do. What must he think?”

A sweep of skirts and Elsa knelt on the floor in front of her and took her hands. “You had no choice. He understands that.”

“You don’t - know that - you can’t know that -”

“This ends today,” Elsa said. “I won’t let them take you, you know that? I don’t want anyone to get hurt. But _I won’t let them take you_.”

Anna looked up into her sister’s eyes.

“And once it’s over,” Elsa continued, “you’re going to find him and you’re going to work it all out. Okay?”

Anna sniffed. “Okay.”

—-

No sooner had Elsa left than there was another knock on the door; a confident rap this time, then the door was flung open to reveal her ostensible fiancé. _He must have been waiting for her to leave_ Anna realised.

“You’re not supposed to see me before the wedding, it’s bad luck,” she said quickly, trying to usher him back out the door.

“I don’t believe in luck. A man makes his own decisions and takes his own chances.”

He strode into the room, and Anna backed away, until her legs touched the side of the bed.

“Something interesting!” he said cheerfully, closing the door and leaning against it. “I’ve been told that more ships flying the Haugesunde flag have been sighted. A little way out to sea as yet, so we can’t identify them. All the ships I’m expecting are already here. Don’t you think that’s interesting?”

“Yes,” Anna said. “I mean, no. I don’t know.” Her heart was beating wildly - ships from Haugesunde was what they had been waiting for, and it meant Kristoff had delivered their message in time, and it meant maybe, maybe everything would now be all right - but she had to fight to keep her expression under control. What was the correct expression? Surprise? Concern? Disinterest? She’d never been much of an actress.

Nikolai was watching her closely, anyway. Then, abruptly, he threw himself forward onto his feet and strode across the room until he was barely two feet away from her.

"My bride," he said. "You look very beautiful - and I suppose you think you’ve been very clever."

"I don’t know what you mean," Anna whispered.

"Don’t you."

He studied her face again and after a moment she had to look away, her cheeks hot.

He turned and took a step towards the door. “Not that it makes any difference,” he said, cheerful again. “Whoever they are, they won’t dock for hours yet, so they won’t bother us! The ceremony at ten, a bite to eat, and then I think we’ll be on our way before the harbour gets too crowded.”

"I thought - we were staying here tonight and leaving in the morning."

"Mmm. I’ve changed my mind. What was it you said? If you have to do it, you might as well get it over with."

He winked at her, but his face was almost stern. Then he turned on his heel and was gone.

—-

Her next visitor followed equally quickly on the heels of the last; but he did not announce himself politely with a knock. Instead, just as Anna was securing the door, she heard a rattle and a thump from the direction of the window, and when she turned with a gasp she saw Kristoff climbing over the sill and into the room.

"I’m sorry," he said. "I shouldn’t be here."

"No," Anna replied, "You shouldn’t. But - I’m glad you are."

His face softened slightly. “I meant to come earlier but I couldn’t get anywhere near the castle, do you know how many soldiers there are in Arendelle? But today there are a lot of other people about so I managed to get in. I just had to tell you -“

He hesitated and her heart soared.

"Tell me what?" She couldn’t help but sound eager and it seemed to make him think again, or maybe he’d always been going to say - "Tell you that help is on its way. I spoke to King Tomas - I can see why your father liked him so much - and they’re coming, a whole army."

Anna nodded. “Thank you.”

"You’re welcome."

She felt the start of a smile. He was here; he wasn’t angry. Kristoff smiled back briefly, then remembered himself and looked at the floor, embarrassed. He coughed.

"So what’s the plan?"

"The plan?"

"Tell me there’s a plan."

"Oh. I guess. Well. The wedding’s at ten, and it’s okay, even if it goes ahead it won’t count, if he’s under an assumed name it’s not legal."

Kristoff winced. “As long as it doesn’t count.”

"I know, I know, but - then there’s a dinner, that’ll go on for ages, they always do. Then dancing, and at some point the ships will arrive and then I guess - we’ll have to play it by ear."

"Well, you’re always good at that."

She kept forgetting, kept slipping back into the easy conversation of a month or two hence. Had it really only been that short a space of time?

And now he was turning away, unlatching the window again.

"Aren’t you staying? Please don’t go."

"Anna. I’m not sure I can." He sighed. "I just came to give you the message -"

She put her hand on his arm. “No, you didn’t.”

"You look beautiful," he said. "And - I wish -"

He hesitated, then pulled away from her hand. “Even if it doesn’t count, I can’t watch it. I can’t - I won’t be far away, okay?”

"Kristoff!"

He paused.

"I know it doesn’t make any difference, not now, but - I’m sorry."

"I know."

And then he was gone, and she was alone again.


	8. Chapter 7

Knock. “Your highness? It’s time to go.”

A pause and then the door opened a crack. “Ma’am? You don’t want to be late.”

Anna stood and brushed her skirts straight. “I thought brides were supposed to be late.”

“Well, by the time we get downstairs, ma’am…”

The corridor outside Anna’s bedroom had a window that looked out over the courtyard. She could see ribbons and bunting, and a few servants still bustling about; all the guests must be already inside. Beyond the castle walls she could see the sails of the ships in the harbour but at this distance it was impossible to tell if any were new.

Gerda cleared her throat, and Anna followed her, but at every window she paused to look out to sea again. Sometimes she thought she saw ships, but there were always ships. She walked as slowly as she could, but somehow her steps still brought her to the door of the cathedral.

–

She was halfway down the aisle when the shouting started.

—

Were the ships closer or faster than Nikolai had thought? Or had he just been lying? Probably. All she knew was that as she turned to look back at the door she could see soldiers running, shouting, fighting. The guests rose in alarm but before Anna could react Nikolai had reached her, grabbed her by the arm and dragged her away. She tried to dig in her heels but he was stronger and before the fighting could enter the hall she was whisked into a side room and he stood between her and the closed door.

“They’re here,” she said as soon as she caught her breath, unable to keep the words in. “They’re here and you’re _too late_.”

“You think this is over? I still have you. I’ve beaten Tomas before and I’ll beat him again -” he pulled the door open a crack and peered out before slamming it shut - “and it’s not quite as neat and tidy as I’d hoped, but believe me, this is still going to plan.”

“When my sister gets here -”

“Your sister,” he said. “ _Your sister_. All that power, and how she squanders it! On skating rinks and sculptures and entertaining _peasants_. She could rule a continent with her magic and she won’t even try. What a waste.” He sighed as if personally offended. “I wished I had her gifts. But soon I _will_ have them, or as good as. Such a good queen, everyone says! So devoted, to her people, to her sister. They would do anything for each other, people say.”

Anna’s blood ran cold. They had thought he only wanted Arendelle, maybe Haugesunde. But it sounded like - “You want to use her as a _weapon_.”

Nikolai’s grin twisted into a smirk. “Oh, young lady, what I couldn’t do with the Snow Queen at my beck and call. I’ll rule this continent - this hemisphere - and she’ll do whatever I ask.”

“And don’t worry,” he continued. “I was never going to be cruel to you - what’s the point of that? You won’t be able to go out much, of course, but it won’t be a bad life. You’d still be my wife, and -”

The noise outside the door was getting quite loud by now, and Nikolai was forced to break off at this point. “Excuse me, my dear,” he said, taking the key from the door and drawing his sword. Anna ran forward but he was outside the room and locking the door before she could reach him.

–

She had to get out of here. She didn’t know what he was planning, but presumably it included her being taken away by force, and it seemed like the easiest way to avoid that was not to be in this room when he came back.

It was just a small storage room. There were books, candles, matches - she could make a fire and burn a hole in the wall, but there seemed a lot of ways that could go wrong so maybe that should be her last resort - and, she was relieved to note, a window. It was made of many small panes of glass but the wooden strips between them were fairly thin. Anna took off one of her petticoats, as quickly as she could manage, and wrapped it round her fist, holding one of the largest wax candles. A few minutes work and she’d made a big enough hole; she used another petticoat to pad the sharp edges of the glass and soon she was dropping down onto the grass.

Most of the commotion seemed to be coming from the other side of the building. She edged round towards the main castle as stealthily as she could manage. She was peering round the corner to see if anyone was coming when someone behind her grabbed her by the hand and yanked her down and behind a low wall.

—

Where was Anna? Even without the sudden battle in the middle of the cathedral, how did you lose a bride just before the wedding ceremony?

Elsa couldn’t see Nikolai, either, which was even more troubling. She was sure neither of them had left by the front entrance but now they had both disappeared.

She hitched up her skirts and ran for the docks.


	9. Chapter 8

Elsa didn’t make it very far. The roads around the castle and the docks were a mess of soldiers, in confusingly similar uniforms, and there was no sign of Anna anywhere.

“Your majesty!” A guard ran up to her, an Arendelle guard. “Your majesty, Princess Anna is locked in a room in the cathedral and we can’t open the door, and the captain said you might be able to help us?”

“Of course,” Elsa replied, relieved. “Show me.”

The lock on the door was sturdy but the wood around it soon crumbled away into shards of ice. The door swung open, and Elsa was the first to step through, but there was no one in the room. She saw the broken window and smiled - of course, Anna - then was immediately anxious again. If she wasn’t here, where was she? And with whom?

“Guards, search the grounds,” she said. “Find her. Make sure she’s safe.”

Captain Vimes gave his instructions to his men, but when he ordered two to stay with her she shook her head. “Don’t worry about me. Just go, all of you. Find her.”

—

Anna stumbled and fell to her knees, as she bit her scream back into a squeak. “Kristoff?”

“Anna, what are you doing?” he hissed. “What’s going on?”

“The soldiers arrived and Nikolai shut me in a room but I climbed out of the window. What are you doing?”

Kristoff hesitated, then said “Looking for you.”

Anna smiled. They were still holding hands, and she squeezed his fingers. “Well. You found me. Now what?”

“Now we should probably leave,” he said. “Let all the soldiers fight it out, that’s what they’re paid to do. Come on, let’s go and find Sven -”

“But people will be looking for me!”

“We’ll tell one of your guards on our way out.”

“And I can’t leave Elsa.”

“OK, fine. I’ll take you to Sven, once you’re gone, I’ll find Elsa and follow you.”

“I’m not leaving her.”

He sighed.

“Fine. Where is she?”

“I don’t know, I was locked in a room!”

Suddenly, they both heard the footsteps behind them. “This way! She can’t have got far!”

“They’re looking for you,” Kristoff hissed, and she let herself be dragged further round the corner before they slipped through a side door and into the castle kitchens.

“I last saw Elsa in the cathedral,” Anna said as they hurried along the corridor, still hand-in-hand.

“We should go back that way. Someone will know where she went. Do you know how to sword-fight?”

“No! Do you?”

“A bit. You’d better stay out of the way, I don’t want you getting hurt.”

They paused to look out of the window towards the cathedral.

“Of course,” she mused, “Sword-fighting would be a lot easier if I had a sword.”

“Well, you don’t.”

“You came to rescue a princess without a weapon?”

“I’ve got a knife.”

“Good, give it to me -”

“No! Good grief.”

—-

Elsa looked up when she heard a man clearing his throat.

“I see my prize has escaped,” Nikolai said in a conversational tone, drawing his sword. “But I have a new one, instead.”

She held up her hands. “Don’t you dare.”

“Or you’ll what?” He stepped forward, and Elsa turned her palms towards him.

“You won’t do it,” he said calmly. “If you could, you’d have done it before now. Two little girls, playing at monarchy.”

Elsa looked at her hands. She had always been afraid of what they could do; now she was more afraid of what they couldn’t. She looked up - and forced her wide eyes back onto Nikolai’s face - not wanting him to turn and see -

\- as Anna ran up behind him and hit him over the head with a chair. Not a large chair, but she threw her whole body weight behind it, and King Nikolai of Trondheim went down like an avalanche.

Kristoff came running round the corner and skidded to a stop, taking in the scene before gazing at Anna with frank admiration. Elsa let her hands drop and the three of them looked at each other.

“Now what do we do with him?” Anna said.

—

The answer to that question turned out to be quite easy.

Once news got about that King Nikolai was in custody, most of his men surrendered and the rest were easily subdued. King Tomas’s forces took the imposter away and locked him up securely on one of their ships, to be taken back to Trondheim and tried for his various crimes (King Tomas offered to let Queen Elsa try Nikolai in Arendelle, but she said she was quite happy for him to handle it).

And after things were starting to be straightened out, after everyone had been fed and watered and organised, Anna found herself sitting next to Kristoff on the sea wall, watching the sun go down.

She had changed her frock, of course, for one of her normal day dresses. She had taken down her hair and plaited it. And it almost, almost felt like a normal day, as if the whole thing hadn’t happened. Almost.

She knew they needed to have this conversation, she wanted to, but she wanted it to be over. He had been so helpful and good and kind, but she didn’t want his kindness. Not just that.

“Do you hate me now?” she said finally, desperate to break the silence.

“Hate you? Of course not.” He paused and she waited for him to gather his thoughts, watching his face anxiously.

“After - we ended it, I had a lot of time to think. And yes, I was angry at first, but - I don’t blame you, Anna. You were trying to do the right thing.”

“And failing.”

“Trying is what matters.”

“Hmm.”

“I can’t say that I love you because you’re so caring, then complain when you care about things that aren’t me.”

_I love you_ , he said, so casually, and her heart leapt.

“Can you forgive me?” she asked.

“I don’t have anything to forgive.”

“I should have put you first.”

He shook his head. “You’re a princess. You have a duty to your country.”

She opened her mouth but he kept talking. “You always said the princess thing didn’t matter, that you weren’t a princess when you were with me, but of course it matters. Whether you like it or not, it’s part of who you are.”

He fished inside his collar and pulled out the crystal pendant that he wore on a cord round his neck. Anna had only seen it a handful of times before, though she knew he always wore it. The crystal glowed slightly in the growing dusk.

“We none of us choose who we are. All that matters is where we end up.”

They sat in silence again, but a warmer silence.

“We seem to keep ending up here,” she said eventually.

Kristoff laughed slightly, under his breath. “Maybe this is where we’re meant to be.” He let the pendant fall back under his shirt.

“Elsa will probably knight you for all this, anyway. Or make you a duke.”

“That’s what King Tomas said, in Haugesunde. But I’ve thought about it, and there’s only one title she could grant me that I would accept.”

“And that is?”

“It doesn’t matter. Another time.”

He took her left hand in his, and ran his thumb briefly over her ring finger before letting it drop.

I love you, she thought, but she didn’t need to say it. When he smiled at her she knew he already knew. Maybe it would all be alright, after all.

She exhaled gently, letting her eyes fall closed as she leant in. She could feel his breath on her lips when she heard someone calling her name, from the direction of the castle.

“Should you go and deal with that?” Kristoff said, drawing away.

“No,” Anna said firmly. “I’m exactly where I should be.” And she kissed him.


End file.
